Skip to main content

Yoga beyond Stress Strain and Anxiety

Kristin Russel

Over the last two decades, the researchers studied the brain’s response to yoga in great detail. Yoga is an easy way for relaxation.  Stress relief is the main advantage of yoga exercises.  Ten minutes Mindful meditation with yoga is a good combination for health benefits.

Stress relief starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life.  You can do daily kriya yoga pranayama.

The stress hormones cycles among these three glands, namely hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis works in a feedback loop. When you’re faced with a major stress, the cone-shaped hypothalamus at the base of your brain releases CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone), which then does a hula dance on your pituitary gland, stimulating it to release another hormone called ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) into your bloodstream.

ACTH signals your adrenal glands to release cortisol and facilitates production and then release of norepinephrine (also known as adrenaline, the fight-or-flight chemical). These four chemicals serve as your body’s SWAT team—they respond to emergencies.

Adrenaline increases your blood pressure and heart rate, while cortisol releases sugar in the form of glucose to fuel your muscles and your mind. Then, to close the loop, cortisol travels back to the hypothalamus to stop the good production of CRH. Stress over, hormones released, body returns to normal.

Regular yoga exercise revitalize the feedback loop. Walking in the morning is a very good practice.

You can do Pelvic Tilts, Cat – Cow Stretches and Sun Salutation are good example for yoga. You can practice dance yoga, water kriya yoga are helpful.

“If you want to conquer anxiety in life –  live in the breath, live in the moment.” – Amit Ray 

Email, RSS Follow

Mindfulness Meditation in Daily Life

Kristin Russel

“Mindfulness Mediation” or Vipassana Meditation  is a capacity for heightened present-moment awareness that we all possess to a greater or lesser extent.  “Mindfulness” are particularly effective, because they aim at changing the underlying beliefs and patterns of negative thinking that create the anxiety.  Essentially, you learn how to focus mindfulness on the underlying core emotions and make them the primary object of your meditation.  Generally, it is what is not seen that has most power over you, and mindfulness meditation is directed at exploring the structure of our inner feelings in great detail.

Training this capacity seems to have a quieting effect on brain areas associated with our subjective appraisal of our self. By considering thoughts and feelings as transitory mental events that occur, but are separate from the self, people are able to lessen their hold on their worries and positive mental health outcomes follow. Mindfulness can be as simple as just watching the breathing.
Even the most basic tasks such as washing  the clothes can consume so much emotional energy that it simply becomes easier to give up. So much emotional energy is expended in this endless worrying that we are left feeling completely drained and fatigued, which makes us even less able to cope.
However, what is even more important than the thoughts or beliefs at the core of anxiety conditions are the emotions, the feeling energy that empowers those thoughts and beliefs. This is what we address in Mindfulness Meditation.
When you develop a mindfulness-based relationship with your inner emotions you set up a completely different inner environment that greatly facilitates transformation, resolution and healing of the emotional constructs of anxiety and fear. The simple fact is that reactivity inhibits change, while mindfulness promotes change and healing. You first learn to recognize the impulse to react with fear or panic as it arises, and to respond at a very early stage to the impulse with mindful-attention. This simple action stops the reactivity proliferating into worry and negative thinking, and opens up a brief moment of choice, a space before the reaction takes off. This is the beginning of the de-conditioning process. With practice you can develop and lengthen this space, especially in mindfulness meditation sessions, which become practice grounds for developing new ways of responding to your emotions and the associated external situations.
As you develop this space, what is called the “therapeutic space of mindfulness,” you create an opportunity in which the trapped emotional energy that powers the reactions can unfold, unwind and become much more malleable. This inner freedom allows emotions to change and transform, which eventually leads to their resolution. We all know the importance of “facing our feelings.” Well Mindfulness Meditation provides the method and details of how to do that, and in a way that leads to beneficial change, rather than simply re-experiencing the emotional reactivity. It is a well-established fact that Exposure Therapy, in which you deliberately make controlled contact with your fear or phobia, is an essential part of healing, but the whole point of such therapy is not to simply re-experience the trauma, but to experience it differently. Mindfulness allows you to do this very effectively, and with your mind will rapidly learn new perceptions and new pathways of experiencing that are not based on emotional reactivity but on balanced responsiveness. This in turn naturally leads to more functional and more positive thinking and more useful core beliefs that are empowered by positive emotional energy, rather than the previous negative energy.
How to Do Mindfulness Meditation:
1. The techniques of mindful meditation is not new. You  just find a quiet and cozy place. Sit in a chair or at the floor along with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff.
2. Try and set aside all thoughts of the past and the longer term and stay within the present.
3. Discover your breathing, targeting the feeling of air moving out and in of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Listen in on the way in which each breath changes and is different.
4. Watch every thought come and go, whether or not it’s a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts arise to your mind, don’t ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.
5. If you end up getting over excited to your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and easily return for your breathing. Remember to not be hard on yourself if this occurs.

Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation:
Mindfulness gives rise to insights which ripen into wisdom, because the more deeply and clearly we are able to observe the reality of our mind body and world, the more we will understand how and why things are as they are.

Here are 10 benefits to practice mindfulness meditation.

  1. Increases grey-matter density in the hippocampus (an area of the brain known to be important for learning and memory) and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.
  2. Reduces Anxiety Disorders, Including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  3. Reduces Sleep Problems
  4. Improve focus, concentration, and precision.
  5. Improves Relationship Issues
  6. Enhance the quality of communications and relationships.
  7. Deepen peace of mind and sense of flow
  8. Deepen insight and intuitive wisdom.
  9. Awaken more authenticity, heart, soul, and caring in our lives and work.
  10. Increases strengthen faith and self-confidence.
Email, RSS Follow

Prenatal yoga

Kristin Russel

Prenatal yoga by Rose Anderson

Yoga could also be an occasional impact exercise. This can be often crucial throughout pregnancy thus on keep each you and your child secure. High result forms of exercise are usually not safe for you or your baby despite the fact that you are pregnant. you can do pregnancy yoga with no putting you or your baby in harm’s suggests that.

Yoga teaches acceptable respiration ways, which is often wonderful for every your thoughts and your body. The exclusive sort of respiration that is accomplished throughout yoga (in some practices known as ujjayi breathing) can support calm the thoughts and so the body. In any yoga for pregnancy video you get, there will be a contemplating your breath. It’ll consider the means to calm your breath, the techniques to breathe into various parts of your physique and therefore the ways to breathe away tension and pressure. this sort of targeted respiration is additionally wonderful for aiding you prepare for childbirth.

Yoga stretches your physique. This side of yoga for pregnancy is sweet for aiding you get rid of any tension and tension in your physique. As your physique grows and changes throughout pregnancy, you will have aches and pains in places that you just simply never ever have before. The stretching that yoga provides can assist you perform out these kinks and relieve the strain in those places that get notably stressed. Your back, legs and feet are utterly regions which can would like some added stretching among the course of pregnancy.

Yoga incorporates relaxation ways in which. At the tip of most yoga classes and videos, you will notice a relaxation section. once you’re enterprise yoga for pregnancy, may be an specifically nice time to connect to your child and to let your physique absolutely cool down. targeted relaxation is consistently important but even tons extra crucial throughout pregnancy when your physique is undergoing such an outsized quantity of alterations. It conjointly offers you a chance to shut off your mind and easily be. once you are doing that absolutely, there are not any worries or issues, you are simply among the instant along with your child, that will be a magical and nice experience.

Yoga for pregnancy could also be a decent ways to urge low influence workout, understand acceptable respiration ways in which, stretch your ever-expanding body and understand to unwind along with your baby.

Email, RSS Follow

Mantra Chanting in Daily Life:

Kristin Russel

Mantra chanting is an ancient way for getting success, healing and prosperity in life. There are many mantras. However some of the most useful mantras are discussed here.

Mantra chanting is easily practiced anywhere, as when repeated mentally, no one can see what we are doing. It is one method for regaining and maintaining peace during stressful times. When we are feeling stress, a few moments of mantra meditation can clear away the dust obstructing the view of a good resolution. And, upon lying down for sleep, mantra repetition can calm the mind, letting the body relax.
A mantra is a syllable or group of syllables – sound vibrations – that clear the mind of debris; much as sound vibrations clean jewelry. When first practicing, the mantra can be spoken, and as we concentrate we can begin mental repetition.
Swami Prabhupada writes in the Srimad Bhagavatam: “Unless one follows the disciplic succession, the mantra one receives will be chanted for no purpose. Nowadays there are so many useless gurus who manufacture their mantras as a process for material advancement, not for spiritual advancement. Still, the mantra cannot be successful if it is manufactured. Mantras and the process of devotional service have special power..”
As with all types of meditation practices the practice itself is not the goal; the goal is a calm mind and relaxed body, so that harmonious thoughts more easily come to mind followed by their product of kind and caring actions.
When our mind is calm and clear we make the best decisions for all concerned. Peace and harmony in our own life influences others’ feelings of peace and harmony. Our positive and kind words and actions bless ourselves, because we feel good in the process of positive thought and action, and the recipients of our goodness benefit by our actions and examples.

When mantra does not work?

A mantra must be received from your Inner Guru. Mantras received from any other type of external gurus, like unrealized head of some spiritual organizations generally does not work. Generally mantra which includes the name of a dead person “incarnations,” does not work. Mantra with too many words does not work.

Real Mantras:

The yoga cum meditation cum spiritual business is flourishing these days. Modern-day “incarnations,”, “messiahs,” with all varieties of mantras, are a dime a dozen, as eager customers flock to the feet of self-styled saviors. The Mundaka Upanisad states that “In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth.”

The Power of Mantra Meditation

The Vedas, scriptures containing the timeless spiritual knowledge of ancient India, state that an awakening process is desperately needed because everyone in this material world is in a sleeping, dreamlike condition. We have forgotten our original, spiritual identity, accepting instead a temporary material body composed of physical elements as our real self. The Vedas compare the material body to the subtle forms we experience in dreams. While sleeping, we forget our normal waking identity and may find ourselves enjoying or suffering in different types of bodies. But when we hear the ringing of the alarm clock, we awaken and return to normal consciousness. We remember who we are and what we should be doing. Similarly, by hearing the powerful transcendental sound vibrations of mantra, we can gradually wake up to our original self, the soul, which is characterized by eternality and is full of knowledge and ever-increasing pleasure.

The sages of ancient India therefore tell us that the goal of human life should not be to try to enjoy our temporary dreamlike situation in the material world. Rather, we are advised to awaken to our original, spiritual nature and ultimately return to our true home in the spiritual world, where we may enjoy an eternal relationship with the Supreme God.

The transcendental potency necessary for developing complete psychological and spiritual fulfillment is already present within everyone. It must, however, be uncovered by a genuine spiritual process.

How to Chant

There are two basic types of chanting. Personal meditation, where one just remember the power of the word, is called mental japa. When one chants in responsive fashion with others, this is called kirtana. Kirtana is usually accompanied by musical instruments and clapping. Both forms of chanting are recommended and beneficial.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for chanting. The most wonderful thing about mantra meditation is that one may chant anywhere — at home, at work, driving in the car, or riding on the bus or subway. And one may chant at any time.

The OM Chant
If there is no religious preference than the sound vibration ‘OM’ is a universally recognized mantra.

If using ‘OM’ draw the sound out like this – oooooommmmmmmmmmm – emphasis being on the last part. To use in conjunction with breathing take an in breath, and then on the out breath repeat ‘OM’ remembering to draw out the ending.

Therefore chanting OM (AUM) will bring us to a state of purity in body mind and soul.

Sri Amit Ray in the Book Om Chanting and Meditation beautifully explained the details of Om meditation and AUM chanting.

AUM

The Purity Chant

The Om is composed of three letters, A, U, and M. These symbolize the practitioner’s impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.
All Buddhas are cases of beings who were like ourselves and then in dependence on the path became enlightened; Buddhism does not assert that there is anyone who from the beginning is free from faults and possesses all good qualities. The development of pure body, speech, and mind comes from gradually leaving the impure states arid their being transformed into the pure.

The path is indicated by the next four syllables. Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method-the altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love. Just as a jewel is capable of removing poverty, so the altruistic mind of enlightenment is capable of removing the poverty, or difficulties, of cyclic existence and of solitary peace. Similarly, just as a jewel fulfils the wishes of sentient beings, so the altruistic intention to become enlightened fulfils the wishes of sentient beings.

The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom. Just as a lotus grows forth from mud but is not sullied by the faults of mud, so wisdom is capable of putting you in a situation of non-contradiction whereas there would be contradiction if you did not have wisdom. There is wisdom realizing impermanence, wisdom realizing that persons are empty, of being self-sufficient or substantially existent, wisdom that realizes the emptiness of duality-that is to say, of difference of entity between subject an object-and wisdom that realizes the emptiness of inherent existence. Though there are many different types of wisdom, the main of all these is the wisdom realizing emptiness.

Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility. According to the sutra system, this indivisibility of method and wisdom refers to wisdom affected by method and method affected by wisdom. In the mantra, it refers to one consciousness in which there is the full form of both wisdom and method as one un-differentiable entity. In terms of the seed syllables of the five Conqueror Buddhas, hum is the seed syllable of Akshobhya – the immovable, the unfluctuating, that which cannot be disturbed by anything.

Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha. It is said that you should not seek for Buddhahood outside of yourself; the substances for the achievement of Buddhahood are within. We have within us the seed of purity, the essence of a One, that is to be transformed and fully developed into Buddhahood.

om mani padme hum

The Gayatri Mantra

The meaning of the Gayatri mantra is as follows

We contemplate the glory of Light illuminating the three worlds: gross, subtle, and causal.
I am that vivifying power, love, radiant illumination, and divine grace of universal intelligence.
We pray for the divine light to illumine our minds.

Om: The primeval sound
Bhur: the physical world
Bhuvah: the mental world
Suvah: the celestial, spiritual world
Thath: That; God; transcendental Paramatma
Savithur: the Sun, Creator, Preserver
Varenyam: most adorable, enchanting
Bhargo: luster, effulgence
Devasya: resplendent,supreme Lord
Dheemahi: we meditate upon
Dhiyo: the intellect,understanding
Yo: May this light
Nah: our
Prachodayath: enlighten,guide,inspire

Om Bhur Buvaha Suvaha
Thath Savithur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayath

Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra Chant:

Anybody can recite this mantra and attain good health, release from mental bondage from ideologies and other problems.

OM TRYAMBAKAM YAJAMAHE

SUGANDHIM PUSHTHI VARDHANAM

URVARUKAMIVA BANDHANAT

MRYTYOR MUKSHEEYA MAMRITAT ||

Tryambaka is the name of Lord Shiva as the father of the three worlds – bhu, bhuva and svarga lokas.

Meaning: We remember the Three-Eyed Lord Shiva who is naturally fragrant, immensely merciful and who is the Protector of the devotees. Remembering the name may we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality just as the ripe cucumber easily separates itself from the binding stalk i.e. “By your Grace, Let me be in the state of salvation (Moksha) and be saved from the clutches of death and sorrowness”. Remembering Lord Ganesha and then Brahmrishi Vasishta who has given us this mahamantra.
It brings health, wealth, peace, prosperity, satisfaction and long life. It is a Moksha-Mantra too.

The Hare Krishna Mantra

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
The HU Chant

Chanting HU (pronounced “hue”) aloud or to yourself can open your heart to God’s love and transform your life. This daily practice can help you experience more love, joy and spiritual freedom. You can also try chanting this inwardly when faced with challenging situations. HU is a ancient name for God and is a very uplifting chant when singing it with a group of people.

HU (hue)

Mantra for success, mantra for healing and mantra for peace is the ancient way for happy life.

Email, RSS Follow

Kriya Yoga Tips

Kristin Russel

Kriya Yoga Tips:

Kriya Yoga is a very old and scientific yoga practice. It was very popular in ancient India around 19th century.  The ancient texts like “Hatha Yoga Pradipka”, “Shiva Samhita” and “Bhagavad Gita” mentioned the usefulness of these methods in harmonizing body and mind in our day to day life.

Circulating the bio-energies in our body is the key element of kriya yoga practices. Kriya yoga ignites the dormant cells in our spine. As soon as the dormant cells of our spine are lighted up, the toxins from our body are gradually eliminated and we feel lighted both in body, spirit and mind. Kriya yoga helps us to supply optimal oxygen and energy to each cell of in our body.  It helps us to eliminate the metabolic waste more efficiently. Kriya yoga uses asana, pranayama and mantra practices.

The basic steps of Kriya yoga practices are discussed in our earlier post. Here, we will discuss some useful tips for daily kriya yoga practice:

  1. First spread good will to yourselves. Then spread good will to others. Let everyone be happy.
  2. Accept and Relax:  Sit silently and listen all the sounds happening around you. Suddenly, you will fell some energy moving upwards along the spine. Just feel the energy flow in your body. You don’t need to do pranayama at that moment. Just feel the movement of the prana.
  3. Chant a mantra mentally and slowly. The mantra may be any thing that gives good energy to your body and mind. If you do not have any specific mantra. You may chant long Om mantra.  The mantra chanting should be effortlessly.
  4. Put your awareness just two inch below the naval. Feel the sensations around that area for few minutes.  Chant your mantra in that area for eleven times.
  5. Gradually, move your awareness along the spine. Feel the sensations inside the spine at different chakras along the microcosmic orbits. By putting awareness try to awaken your dormant kundalini energy.

Kriya yoga is a gradual process. It takes few months to master the practices. Along with the practices explained above, Kriya pranayama is to be practised regularly in the morning.

Email, RSS Follow

Ujjayi Pranayama for Kriya Yoga – In Three Simple Steps

Kristin Russel

Ujjayi pranayama is an essential part of kriya yoga practice.

During the inhaling or exhaling of  ujjayi pranayama intentionally try to make some small vibration or sound in the throat area. Don’t give much pressure, throat glands are very sensitive, they should be in a relax state. If you think you are comfortable in making the throat vibration during inhaling do the vibrations during that time. Then you don’t need to make the sound during exhaling. If you prefer to make the vibration during exhaling, you can do it like that. You  can keep your mouth open during making the throat sound.
There are several benefits of  this pranayama. The general steps for Ujjayi Pranayama are as follows:

Step 1:

1.1  Sit on vajrasana yoga posture on a suitable yoga mat.

1.2  You need to put your hands on your knees.

1.3  Keep your fingers together.

1.4 Inhale slowly and mentally chant AUM for three times.

1.5  Hold the breath comfortably and mentally chant Om for four times.

1.6  Exhale slowly and mentally count Om for six times.

1.7 Hold the breath comfortably as long as you can.

Repeat step 1.4 to step 1.7 for SIX times

Step 2:

1.1  Sit on vajrasana yoga posture on a suitable yoga mat.

1.2  Place your hands on your chest.

1.3  Fingers of  your hand should be joined together.

1.4  Inhale (puraka) deeply and mentally chant AUM for three times.

1.5  Hold (inner kumbhaka) the breath comfortably and mentally chant Om for four times.

1.6  Exhale (rechaka) slowly and mentally chant Om for six times.

1.7  Hold (outer  kumbhaka) the breath comfortably and mentally chant Om for two times.

Repeat step 1.4 to step 1.7 for SIX times

Step 3:

1.1  Sit on vajrasana  yoga posture on a suitable yoga mat.

1.2  Place both the hands on the back of your shoulder.

1.3  Keep your fingers together.

1.4  Inhale (puraka) deeply and mentally chant AUM for three times.

1.5  Hold (inner kumbhaka) the breath comfortably and mentally chant Om for four times.

1.6  Exhale (rechaka) slowly and mentally chant Om for six times.

1.7  Hold (outer  kumbhaka) the breath comfortably and mentally chant Om for two times.

Repeat step 1.4 to step 1.7 for FOUR times

Step 1 to step 3 is one cycle of ujjayi pranayama. After completing one cycle of pranayama take rest for two minutes. Be comfortable before starting the next cycle.

Do this pranayama for two to three cycles in the morning.  If you are not comfortable sitting on  vajrasana  yoga posture, you can sit on a comfortable chair and do this breathing exercise. Ujjayi pranayama helps you stay young and fresh.

To know more visit Ujjayi Pranayama.

Email, RSS Follow

Yoga Exercises to Reduce Back Pain

Kristin Russel

Reason for Back Pain

Back pain arises due to some from injury or wound to some of the nerves, bones, muscles and other structures. According to the recent researches, most of the back pain arises due to some form of problems in the nerves that moves along the Spinal Cord through the bones, making the muscles to stressed. The problems arise due to mechanical problem in the Spine, or stress and anxiety. Ulcers, Kidney infection and Constipation also cases back pain. Yoga is useful to solve the problems in the spine to reduce the back pain. The Yoga steps are as follows:

Select an appropriate Yoga Mat:

Selecting a good non skidding comfortable yoga mat is must for doing yoga exercise. If you want to do Pilates along with yoga then also you need a soft yoga mat so that you should not slip out during bending or stretching exercise. The yoga mat should be such that you should not loose your balance while bending your body. While selecting the mat for yoga, you should be careful that the width of the mat is sufficient for your movements. If you are senior citizen you should give extra care for textured yoga mat which can give you extra grips.

Select appropriate Yoga Postures:

All yoga postures are not good for back pain. Some may aggravate your back pain. So, be careful about the correct posture. You take advice from your yoga teacher or medical adviser. First you do the standing poses like Tadasana. All the postures should be done slowly and comfortably. No jerking or pain should be allowed. If there is pain do not go for that. Small relaxation feeling of pain during yielding or stretching is perfectly okay. After doing the standing poses you can go for the sitting poses. Just crisscross your hands, legs in a sitting posture. Do not go for complicated postures. At the end of the sitting yoga asana, you can go for laying postures like sabha asana that is corpse pose. Sage twist pose is also helpful.

Cat Pose is very useful to release back pain. In this pose with a cat like posture with knees and hands on the yoga mat, you just slightly move your spine happily up and down.

Cat Pose Yoga
Cat Pose Yoga

Use Natural Ayurvedic Medicine:

There are many good natural ayurvedic medicines are available to relive back pains, you can try with them. But be careful. Take ayurvedic medicine only from the reliable and authentic company.

If you have acute lower back pain for more than three months, take proper medical advice.

sciatic nerve back pain
sciatic nerve back pain
Email, RSS Follow
khechari mudra

Benefits of Khechari Mudra

Admin 6 Comments

There are several benefits of Kundalini Yoga and Kriya yoga pranayam, when it is practised regularly, with sincerity. This yoga should be practised slowly and gracefully. If you are hurried, you may not achieve the results. According to the scriptures kundalini yoga, particularly khechari mudra, ujjayi pranayam and bandhas should be practised regularly. The mind should be free from strong desires. If you have a strong desire, you may need to work more. Gradually, you will be free from the strong desires. Mind should be free from the impurities like Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsharja. Which means mind should be free from anger, desire, hatred, attachment, aversion  and strong ego feelings.

khechari mudra
khechari mudra

If you practice the yoga mudras and bandhas regularly, those impurities will go away soon. The main benefits of successful Khechari Mudra are:

  • Mind will be free from anger, desire, hatred, attachment, aversion  and strong ego feelings.
  • Your voice will become sweet and attractive.
  • Your face will be bright, attractive and shining.
  • Fat on your abdomen will be reduced
  • You will get more vitality and energy to work
  • Your eyes will sparkle like diamond.
  • According to scripture you will be free from all deceases.

These khechari mudra practice should be done early in the morning, with love and devotion. Bandhas are very important. Mula Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha should also to be practised regularly.

Email, RSS Follow

Art of Spontaneous Kechari Mudra

Kristin Russel

I am yet to see or heard about any great yogi who got enlightenment or something near to that by cutting the frenum under the tongue. But I know many yogis who can touch the uvula with the tip of the tongue. Many great yogis have different views on Kechari Mudra. Touching the third eye is one end of the Kechari Mudra story. Thre are many other stories. People are often confused. The basic question is what is achieved by these exercise? Of course, the first answer is bliss.  However, just turning the tongue backward and meditation on the tip of the tongue is having  several other benefits.

According to Paramhansa Yogananda one of the benefits of practicing Khechari Mudra is “It draws energy from the cerebrum and medulla by connecting the tip of the big tongue with the little tongue (uvula).” Again he said “Right attitude, devotion, and attunement to the Guru are more important than an over-reliance on exotic techniques such as Khechari Mudra.”


In the book “Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style” Sri Amit Ray of Himalaya, Uttarkashi brilliantly explained “I have seen several yogis buttering, massaging and pulling their tongue in the morning and in the evening. Definitely, these practices helped them to keep their attention on the tongue area. There are many sensitive invisible micro astral nerves on the palates and on the tongues. Physically, numerous taste cells are positioned not only on the tongue but also on the uvula, soft palate, larynx, pharynx, and epiglottis. This type of tongue massaging activates those taste buds on the tongue, and stimulates the secretion of certain endorphin like hormones. This produces some bliss energy in the third eye area. That is definitely a good incentive for a new yoga student. But that temporary bliss is not the objective of a true yogi. Even to get that great bliss energy you don’t need to cut the frenum under the tongue. With the help of some herbs and mantra kriya practices on the tongue you can get much better result. It is foolishness to cut the frenum under the tongue.


Kechari Mudra is much more than that. It is a great mystery. It is the mystery of exploring the inner vastness. It is merging into the nectar of inner and outer vastness. The role of physical exercise is very limited. Discovering the micro astral nerves on the palates and the uvula is the first challenge. For that you need to focus your one pointed awareness and attention in the area of ….”

Before proceeding to true Khechari Mudra, you need to do other practices to prepare the body and mind. It needs purification. It needs the practice of Sila, Samadhia and Panna. Just cuting the frenum and turning the tongue backwards and touching the palate is not enough.

When our mind will be pure and heart is full of love Kechari Mudra will occur spontaneously. Our mental purification is more important than tough physical exercise.

Email, RSS Follow

Yoga and Vipassana for Stress Relief and Pain management

Kristin Russel

Each one of us is having the ability to heal ourselves. We need to learn the techniques for healing. Yoga and Vipassan are two beautiful ways to control pain and bring happiness in life. Both these techniques are scientifically proven and millions of people are getting benefits of that.  Just like allopathic medicines, too much Yoga and too much Vipassana meditation is harmful for body and mind. You should be careful they should not create addiction.


Great Yoga and Vipassana master Sri Amit Ray of Uttarkashi in the book “Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style” beautifully explained the ways and means to use yoga and Vipassana for pain management and stress relief.  He says “Select your own yoga posture slowly and very gently twist your body and gently focus your attention to the starting place of the physical pain. Just comfortably permit your awareness to rest in that area for few moments and then move your attention to the …..  “. The book beautifully amalgamated the two ancient meditation and yoga techniques.

But Yoga and Vipassan are not the answer for all pains, particularly for acute pains you need to take proper medical advice. Yoga postures should be selected depending on the nature of pain.

Email, RSS Follow